Published treasures make time travel possible

Among the many things that pile up on my desk are books sent to me for review by various publishing houses. In some cases, I don’t have much to say about these offerings.

For instance, a book dealing with the idiosyncrasies of small-block fuel injection is not something I would ponder reading. I have some admiration for the writers of such books as one would have to think them to be very passionate about the subject as I sincerely doubt they will ever earn enough in royalties to buy lunch for their editor — someone else who must be long-suffering.

On occasion, though, I am sent books that are positively delightful — and in recent months a few of these have trickled in, so I’ll share them with you.

The first is close to my heart simply because it concerns the first vehicles I ever restored, ones for which I still have great fondness. Written by Pat Ware, it’s called Military Jeep, 1940 Onwards (Ford, Willys and Hotchkiss) and is published by Haines (the automotive manual publisher). I know it isn’t a riveting title, and to many it would share the same bottom shelf space with the volume on fuel injection, but it is not a manual. Instead, it’s a history on the little quarter-ton vehicle many say helped win the Second World War.

Lately, Haines has put out a few historical books disguised as manuals. These have even included “manuals” on the Spitfire and Messerschmitt 109 fighter planes. Sadly, no one has sent me either of these books, so I’ll drop another hint here.

Although Military Jeep sounds dry, it is actually quite interesting and well written, even if you’re not a Jeep enthusiast. It covers the development and use of the vehicle as well as technical details. I would make it mandatory reading for any owners of mud-encrusted Rubicons and other Trail Rated Jeeps, especially those with “Hummer Recovery Vehicle” bumper stickers.

The second book I rather like is one covering a long-time favourite car of mine, the 1940 Ford. Funnily enough, it’s called ’40 Ford. Written by Joseph Cabadas in co-operation with the Henry Ford Museum, this history book is actually a fascinating look at the Ford Motor Company as a major American success story and icon of U.S. culture.

I like well-written, well-researched books like this simply because they provide their readers with the ability to travel back in time for a little while. The great thing here is that ’40 Ford delves into the personalities and the politics — sometimes quite dirty — behind the scenes at Ford. It’s not just informative and entertaining but also quite attractive and packed with historically significant pictures that make it fun to flip through more than once. If I hadn’t been sent a copy to review, this is a book I could actually see myself purchasing.

The last book — my absolute favourite — is called The Fate of the Sleeping Beauties. It chronicles the story of a collection of more than 50 classic cars that was assembled in a barn by a French collector and pretty much left as found. When the cars were unearthed in the 1980s, their discovery caused a huge flap among enthusiasts who considered it sacrilege to have treated Bugattis, Alfa Romeos, Aston Martins and other significant cars in such a manner. Dozens of photographs were circulated at the time and there was a book written that dubbed these cars the Sleeping Beauties.

After their discovery, the cars were spirited away and little was revealed about their fate. Gradually, they were, for the most part, forgotten — that is, until two Dutchmen, Ard and Arnoud op de Weegh, and German Kay Hottendorff decided to dig into what had transpired. After three years, they had their answers, persuading the original owner of the cars, Michel Dovaz, to break his silence after 25 years.

What follows is a detailed and fascinating history on the fate of the cars. Ironically, after much acrimony and vilification aimed at Dovaz by the collector car world, it turned out he had actually saved the cars from the wreckers when they were of little value and of even less interest to those who would later condemn Dovaz of mistreatment.

Published by Veloce and distributed by Motor Books International, Sleeping Beauties is a must-have for any automobile enthusiast who has an interest in lost treasures.